Here's What Happens When You Set More Than 100 Entrepreneurs And VCs Loose On A Ski Mountain

Pitch Peak has been going on for several years (this pic is from 2013's event).
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One of an entrepreneur's biggest challenges is knowing how to explain their idea simply, quickly, and in a way that grabs an investor's attention, and convinces them that its worth betting on. You often only have one chance to make your pitch, so it better be good.

Now, imagine that pitch happening on a chairlift.

New York City VC firm High Peaks Venture Partners just hosted its 8th annual "Peak Pitch" event, where it invited more than 100 investors and entrepreneurs to hit the slopes for a full day of skiing, pitching, boozing, and fun.

Most people snoozed through the two hour ride to Hunter Mountain as the sun came up.

We made it to Hunter just before 8 am!

Meanwhile, most of the investors were already there. They had come to the mountain the night before (and played a lot of poker and blackjack).

Tracy Baker

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Everyone signed in and grabbed some breakfast before renting their skiing or boarding equipment and doing last minute pitch-prep.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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To help keep track of who was who, VCs and angels wore yellow while the entrepreneurs pulled on blue jerseys.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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Brad Svrluga, general partner at High Peaks, got the day rolling by explaining the "rules." Entrepreneurs and VCs would pair up on the chairlift, giving just enough time for a roughly six minute pitch.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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After hearing a pitch, an investor could choose to give an entrepreneur a few of his or her "pitch bucks." The entrepreneurs with the most bucks at the end of the day would get to pitch in front of the entire crowd (and win some cool prizes, too).

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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Time to hit the slopes!

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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Entrepreneurs and VCs paired up at the bottom of the chairlift.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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Sometimes, the pitches would continue slightly after a duo dismounted from their chair.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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It was a gorgeous day, with perfect conditions. But it was extremely cold.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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One entrepreneur said the hardest part about pitching on the lift was trying to enunciate despite having a frozen face.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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Peak Pitch was the perfect situation for entrepreneur for Brendan Walker, who could show investors his product in action. He designs snowboard bindings that use magnets to let boarders lock in on the lift.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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I didn't catch any wipe-outs on camera, but several VCs and entrepreneurs admitted that it was their first time on skis in many, many years.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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After a few hours out on the mountain, we breaked for lunch and warmed up with sandwiches, hot soup, and coffee.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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Tess Micheals, still a junior in college, was the youngest entrepreneur there. She founded a company called Soceana that helps facilitate corporate volunteerism.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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VCs and entrepreneurs continued to mingle over lunch.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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One investor told me that he loves the event because it takes the formality (and monotony) out of the usual networking event. It's much more fun to hear pitches on the slopes versus in a stuffy office. And you can just ski away if you aren't into an idea!

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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Ager lunch, the entrepreneurs all began to turn in their stacks of pitch bucks to a High Peaks rep.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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Jamyn Edis, CEO of car technology startup Dash, came to the event last year, too. "The format of the six-minute lift ride concentrates your thinking," he says. "And people loosen up."

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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One of the most unbelievable parts of the day was when one of the investors and one of the entrepreneurs re-enacted a conversation they'd had earlier in which they'd discovered that they had both grown up in the EXACT same apartment in Brooklyn.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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After all the pitch buck were tallied, three entrepreneurs got to pitch their idea to everyone. Third place when to Rebecca Kantar of BrightCo.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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Daniel Fountenberry pitched Borne Digital. His company created a reading platform for tablets that changes books to suit students' reading levels.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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Zachary Aghion, founder of A/B app testing company Splitforce, was the first place winner! He got a big bag of swag.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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We rounded off the day with some free drinks and more great conversation. Here's Hayden Williams of Treatings and Alfredo Carrillo of CityHint.

Business Insider / Jillian D'Onfro

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Then, it was time to head back on the bus. The buses were stocked with plenty of beer for the voyage back to the city.